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Russia was not supportive during Indo-China war: Dixit

At the height of the 1962 Sino-Indian war, the Soviet Union was listed as ''not supportive'' when the then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru asked the External Affairs Ministry officials to prepare lists of countries on the basis of their approach to New Delhi.

Towards the closing stages of the 1971 Bangladesh war, Moscow put pressure on New Delhi to declare cessation of hostilities immediately after capturing Dhaka and threatened to stop all military supplies otherwise.

These revelations were made by former foreign secretary J N Dixit after the release of the book ''Foreign policy dynamics- Moscow and India'' by Dr Shanta Nedungadi Varma.

A host of former diplomats and experts on international affairs present on the occasion felt that often on issues affecting New Delhi, Moscow had taken a stand which could not exactly be described as ''friendly,'' contrary to the popular perception in India.

Dixit, who was a desk officer in the External Affairs Ministry during the 1962 war, said when Nehru asked for separate lists of countries classified as ''friendly'', ''not supportive'' and ''hostile'' to New Delhi's interests during the conflict, the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, a founding member of the non-aligned movement with India, were clubbed among those characterised as ''not supportive''.

The former foreign secretary said the original ill-informed misgivings in the Soviet power structure about India continued till 1956.

''Even today, India figures much down the list of priorities for Russia after the United States, the European Union and Japan,'' he said.

''Russia will remain a valuable factor in our foreign policy but Moscow has not shown enough appreciation of New Delhi ... There has been tough bargaining by Russians in mutual deals,'' he said. However, he acknowledged Moscow's support to New Delhi's nuclear weaponisation programme.

UNI

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